And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini

January 29, 2014

"Sometimes [Father] had Abdullah and Pari sit raptly before him...and told them stories his grandmother had passed on to him when he had been a boy, sending them off to lands populated by sultans and jinns and malevolent divs and wise dervishes. Other times, he made up stories. He made them up on the spot, his tales unmasking a capacity for imagination and dream that always surprised Abdullah. Father never felt more present to Abdullah, more vibrant, revealed, more truthful, than when he told his stories, as though the tales were pinholes into his opaque, inscrutable world."
                                                           -from the novel

This is the third novel by Hosseini I have read. He is truly an amazing storyteller! In fact the quote above could describe the author himself.

The setting is mostly Afghanistan but also Paris, San Francisco and a Greek Island. The story takes place over many years, from 1949 to 2010. And so many characters!  Multiple generations of one family and those whose lives they touch. I actually took notes which helped me keep up with them all. The foreign names could be a problem for some readers, as well.

The story begins with Abdullah and Pari, brother and sister living in the small Afghan town of Shadbagh. When they are tragically separated as children, one can only hope the plot will twist to have them reunited by the end. One obvious theme is how the choices people make reverberate through their lives and the lives of others. "Hosseini explores the many ways in which family members love, wound, betray, honor, and sacrifice for one another" (from the book jacket).  The emotional intensity of the novel certainly made it a page-turner for me! My rating is a 5.

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February 24, 2021

"Seeing her father's face in those photos stirred an old sensation in Pari, a feeling that she had for as long as she could remember. That there was in her life the absence of something, or someone, fundamental to her own existence. Sometimes it was vague, like a message sent across shadowy byways and vast distances, a weak signal on a radio dial, remote, warbled. Other times it felt so clear, this absence, so intimately close it made her heart lurch."

                         -from Chapter 6, Pari's story

When this book was suggested for Page Turners for this year, I agreed to include it since I remembered it fondly. The funny thing was I remembered almost none of it from 2014 as I began to reread. I gave it a 5 seven years ago but I will demote it to a 4. I have read too many books I have appreciated more in those years, including two others by this author, The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns. I cannot deny that Hosseini has a beautiful writing style and weaves an intricate plot. In this case, almost too intricate! 

The novel is more like a series of interrelated short stories, narrated by different characters. And there are SO many characters! The multiple time lines and geographical locations make it even more confusing at times, moving from 1952 to 2010, through Afghanistan, Paris, the Greek island of Tinos and San Francisco. To be honest, there is not much joy in this story, more a tale of persistence and survival. It will be interesting to hear reactions from the other Page Turners. More after that....

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Page Turners had a rousing discussion on Zoom with 14 in attendance. Ratings ran the gamut---from 5 all the way down to 1, with an average of 3.2. Many participants praised Hosseini's writing but did not think this book was nearly as good as his first two (mentioned above). One member felt the author portrayed some of the more recent history of Afghanistan with great skill and emotion. Another noted  themes of human passions----especially extremes like jealousy and hate---and how decisions made in the heat of a moment can "echo" through ones life and cause much suffering. A few in the group agreed that Mr. Markos is one of the only "*rightdoing" characters in the novel; many of the others did horrible things. (*See publisher's discussion questions #s4-6.) We could pretty much agree the book was tedious, not really a page-turner, and we found the ending disappointing. We are hoping next month's book is more uplifting!

Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man by Fannie Flagg

 "I am a second-year Brownie. I got a first-aid badge that really comes in handy. One time after school, Jimmy Lee got hit by a car and was bleeding all over the place. I remembered what to do. I sat down and put my head between my knees to keep from fainting."

                              -Daisy Fay Harper, from the novel

After enjoying a couple of Fannie Flagg's novels recently, I wondered if I had missed any. It turns out that this one is her debut novel. Daisy Fay... would not be a favorite but it was SO entertaining! Every few pages had me chuckling, laughing out loud or, at the very least, smiling. 

The book reminds me of Bridget Jones's Diary with an 11-year-old Bridget. Daisy Fay Harper is a sassy little girl growing up in the 1950's South. She narrates her story by way of a diary through 7 years. Her stream of consciousness was believable for a kid of that age and I would know---I taught 11-year-olds many years! 

I would have been 6 years old, living in the South, in 1952 when Daisy Fay begins, so many references to the time were quite familiar to me---names of movies and movie stars, popular songs, Rainbow Girls, the polio threat and sadly, racism. She mentions the horror of a tonsillectomy and the ether that was used. I remember being traumatized by that ancient anesthesia. 

There is a part of the story where Daisy is questioned by the FBI about a woman found dead on the beach. This is a bit frightening for her and there is also some sadness with the breakup of her parents and her dad's alcoholism. But there are so many hilarious parts of the story: the "fish story," the "miracle" she fakes to help her father and, late in the story when she is to be married, the description of her first pelvic exam. Not much of a plot but it's worth reading just for the laughs!

Sycamore Row by John Grisham

 "He had read the will a hundred times and still had the same two reactions. One, it was mean-spirited, harsh, cruel, and unreasonable. Two, it made him wonder what Lettie was doing to make the old boy so fond of her. But, as always, another reading convinced him Seth knew exactly what he was doing. If a person has testamentary capacity, then that person can make all the wild and unreasonable bequests he or she wants."                 -Jake Brigance's thoughts, from the novel

Some time ago I was a big fan of John Grisham and read many of his earlier novels. Suddenly, I find myself a renewed admirer of his writing and story-telling expertise. Not long ago I read, and blogged, A Time for Mercy, the latest of Grisham's and a current best-seller. I loved it and realized that it was a 3rd Jake Brigance story and that I had missed the second, Sycamore Row. The first was A Time to Kill, way back in 1989, a powerful story adapted into an unforgettable movie. Maybe part of the reason for this fixation on Jake Brigance is picturing him as Matthew McConaughey in "A Time to Kill"! I neglected almost everything else when I got involved in this one---a rating of 5, for sure.

I received the book on CDs from the library before my print copy arrived. I loved the narration by Michael Beck. He must be an excellent actor because he had different voices for all the characters---male and female. So entertaining! 

In this legal thriller, Jake is tasked with defending a hand-written will mailed to him by Seth Hubbard, a local businessman, just before he commits suicide. In this will, Seth cuts out his family and leaves a bundle to his black housekeeper, Lettie Lang. Because of an outraged family and their zealous lawyers and plenty of racism still showing its ugly head in the late 1980s, it will be a major undertaking for Jake to see that Seth's final wishes are honored. 

As I mentioned, the book was highly entertaining with a good bit of humor; however, the plot proceeds to an intense, difficult-to-read part that reminded me of Mildred D. Taylor's series about the black Logan family in Mississippi trying desperately to hang onto their land while despicable whites try to take it away. It also made me think of the Ocoee Massacre of 1920 in a nearby Florida community which has had much publicity because of the 100th anniversary and the fact that the tragic event centered around an election.

I can't say much more without possible spoilers. In my opinion, Grisham is the master of legal thrillers. I am surely hoping for another Brigance episode! And another film adaptation, perhaps? My plan, while I am waiting, is to reread A Time to Kill and maybe see the movie again.

Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones

 "I think about the world and the way that things take place and in what order. I am not one of those people who believe that everything happens for a reason. Or, if I am, I don't believe that everything happens for a good reason....There's only so much that you can chalk up to coincidence. I believe in the eventuality of things. What's done in the dark shall come to the light. What goes up comes down. What goes around comes around. There are a million of these sayings, all, in their own way, true. And isn't that what's supposed to set you free?"                 -Dana Lynn Yarboro, from the novel

As a member of LIFE (Learning Institute for Elders) at UCF I was invited to participate in NEA's (National Endowment for the Arts) Big Read, receive a free copy of the year's chosen novel and take part in group discussions of the book. At first I set my copy aside because I had just received a library book I wanted to read by a favorite author. When the invitation came for the first group meeting, via Zoom, I decided I should at least look over Silver Sparrow. The amazing first line: "My father, James Witherspoon, is a bigamist." sucked me in and after a few more pages, I was hooked! I finished it in only a few days---quite a page-turner. Rating: 5---fascinating story, beautiful writing. 

What a unique story told by the two daughters of James Witherspoon! The first part is narrated by Dana Lynn Yarboro, daughter of Gwen and the second, by Bunny Chaurisse Witherspoon, daughter of Laverne Witherspoon, the "legitimate" family. Dana and Gwen know about the other two---even stalk them at times--but Laverne and Chaurisse do NOT know that James has another secret family. 

The emotional toll on Dana is great, as she grows up feeling second-best, perhaps the "silver sparrow" of the title. She could never claim James as her father and many of her decisions hinged on what Chaurisse would do or where she would be, for example schools or camps. Sibling rivalry takes on a different---and more destructive meaning. I felt sorry for Dana.

When the two girls become friends, the plot thickens and the reader figures it's only a matter of time before James' duplicity is revealed. I can't say more without spoilers and I probably don't need to since you likely have already determined to read it!

----------------February 23

I was fortunate to view an interview in real time with Tayari Jones, the author of Silver Sparrow. It was wonderfully entertaining. She talked about her work---this is her third book---revealing thoughts about writing in general and about this novel, in particular. The setting of the book is Atlanta which is Jones's home town and as the interviewer said, almost seems to be a character in her novel. She said she began the story with Dana as narrator because she felt her story was more interesting than that of Chaurisse. I posed a question about her title selection since I never quite understood it. She said that the song lyrics "His eye is on the sparrow..." occurs in the book and that was part of the reason for her choice. It was surprising to me that she reads her entire book aloud when it is completed. She shared that after being "kicked to the curb" by her publisher for being "unprofitable" she attended an author's conference in Key West. When a woman asked her for an autographed copy of a book, it turned out to be Judy Blume who introduced her to her new publisher! (Judy Blume is one of my favorite authors of literature for children and youth.) Ms. Jones has a very engaging personality so it was an enjoyable hour. She seemed like someone I would love to meet.